From London to local: How Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’ could transfer power away from Westminster’s corridors

In 1996, the Irish Republican Army detonated the largest bomb the UK had witnessed since World War II. This explosion ripped through Manchester’s city centre, causing $700 million worth of damage and destroying structures within a mile’s radius.

This tragedy set the stage for the modern revival of Manchester. Council Leader Sir Richard Leese proposed the city centre’s overhaul, which was largely delivered by private capital. Today, a major criticism the city centre faces is that it resembles a mini-London amidst all the glass and steel. But it was the focus on building a successful public-private partnership — with investments derisked by public money — that catalysed this northern renaissance.

Key elements

Burnham’s vision of Manchesterism insists that a greater degree of public control over assets like housing, transport, and energy is an essential pre-requisite to growth. He shares the original movement’s defiance of a London-centric order and has long advocated for devolution of political and fiscal power concentration in the South.

This concept has also been said to embody collaboration between governments, businesses, and trade unions, given its focus on investing in public services and building more social housing — both areas of deep focus for Burnham from his time as the former mayor of the Greater Manchester Area (2017-26).
Some of the major points in Burnham’s interpretation of Manchesterism are:

Devolution: In the UK, devolution refers to the transfer of power from the Parliament in Westminster, London, to national assemblies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and English regional local authorities. By devolving power, budgets, and accountability to local areas, public services can integrate around the citizen rather than the UK’s institutional boundaries.

Linking economic and social progress: Burnham has openly dictated that economic progress without social change is a fallacy. In his book, Head North: A rallying cry for a more equal Britain, Burnham rejects the idea of trickle-down economics. Instead, he demands good growth in every postcode as an outcome of growth while questioning why this change should only be observed in urban centres.

The international angle: Burnham has also expanded the concept to foreign policy. Recognising that global shocks — from energy market convulsions to supply-chain fragility — are felt most acutely at the local level, this model dictates foreign policy and trade agreements explicitly protect regional manufacturing, lower local household bills, and secure jobs in lagging regions. This is meant to ground international dialogues in everyday, local issues.

Policy examples

Burnham has attempted to boost his agenda’s credibility by citing the real-world feasibility of relevant instances during his mayoral tenure, such as:

‘The Bee Network’:.Reversing the 1980s deregulation of the UK’s buses, Burnham utilised statutory mechanisms to bring Greater Manchester’s transport system back under local authority control. The region capped fares at £2 and reduced operational costs by a third per kilometre by integrating buses, trams, and travel routes under a public umbrella.

Reindustrialisation push: Burnham organised the city-region’s economic future around five “growth clusters”: Digital/Cyber/AI, Life Sciences, Creative/Media, Low Carbon, and Advanced Manufacturing. By aligning local universities, innovators, and skills providers within these specific sectors, Manchesterism attempts to build a £100 billion regional economy from the ground up in a town once in the doldrums of deindustrialisation.

As Burnham takes charge, it remains to be seen whether a national executive can use the levers of the centralised British state to dismantle and devolve that very power.